Ever Wonder Why You Were Born?

 

Right off the bat, let's get a clear understanding of what I'm talking about. I don't mean how were you conceived or the reasoning behind your parents' desire for a family. I do mean, what significance does your life have, lived with your choices and motivations and passions. What is the grand-scale purpose of your existence on Planet Earth?

Consider the following chart.

If you really love something and the world really needs it, that constitutes a personal mission for you.

If the world needs something and you get paid for doing it or supplying it, that is a vocation.

If you are great at something and are getting paid for it, that is your profession.

If you really love something and you are great at it, that can be considered your passion.

But when all of that comes together into one thing; when your vocation, profession, passion, and mission find a single point of focus...that can be considered your purpose.

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Truth is...a purpose-driven life is so much more than a book title. To live in harmony with how God has wired you up will bring satisfaction to you and practically everyone you come in contact with. It is a union greatly to be desired.

Everybody Stars in Their Own Story

 

The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, by John Koenig, is a "dictionary of made-up words for emotions that we all feel but don't have the words to express." I'm currently borrowing it from my youngest daughter, but I may need to buy a copy for myself.

It's the kind of book that you can't just sit down and read through. Each page...or even just a part of a page...needs to be sat with for a bit and allowed to simmer.

My interest in this book was solidified because of one word that appears in the introductory section.

sonder: the realization that each random passerby is the main character of their own story, in which you are just an extra in the background.

When I read that, my jaw dropped and my eyes grew wide.

It really shouldn't have been such a revelatory moment. I mean, for a long time I have certainly felt like I was starring in a movie about me. Why shouldn't everyone else feel the same way about themselves?

Then my daughter directed me to the following video created by Koenig, and I knew I needed to read this book.

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Even though the word didn't exist at the time, I first experienced sonder during my first mission trip to Panama.

Our small group had parked our van on one end of a slab of asphalt that served as the neighborhood basketball court. We hung a sheet on the broad side of the van to use as a movie screen to show The Jesus Film. In preparation for the movie, and to help gather a crowd, our Panamanian hosts led a time of worship.

Then it hit me. Even though I had grown up in a church that emphasized mission work and I knew in my head that God's love applied to every people and every language group, I still had a feeling that God was paying particular attention to wherever I was and whatever I was doing. But standing there listening to worship songs that I couldn't understand a single word of, I realized that Yahweh was right there, enjoying every note.

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Truth is...He's got the whole world in his hands.

The New Testament in 50 Minutes

 

Previously on Truth Is... we traveled through thousands of years of Middle Eastern history, thanks to Jeff Walling, getting an overview of the main point of the collection of writings that has come to be known as the Bible; specifically, the Old Testament.

This week, let's do the same with Walling's quick flyover of the New Testament.

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Truth is... It's not too hard to understand. It's not a bunch of made-up googily moogily. It is the grand scheme of time unfolding so the world will know that God loves forever.

The Old Testament in 50 Minutes

 

It's one thing to pick a couple Bible verses and use them to support your opinion or argue against someone else's or decorate your home, but it's something else to have a comprehensive understanding of what God's main point is throughout the whole Bible.

I found a little something that might help.

I have been grateful for and benefitted from the abilities of Jeff Walling since way back in the days when I was a youth pastor. I

If you take the time to watch the video below, I think you'll understand why.

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Truth is...even this is only part of the story. Come back next week for the exciting conclusion! (Or perhaps, an exciting beginning?)